Extended contests stretch out over a number of exchanges and involve 'bidding' a pool of points on each series of actions you take within the conflict, then rolling. Each opposed roll determines who looses the bid (you could lose the roll and lose all or part of your bid, or win and all or part of your bid comes out of your opponent's pool). Eventually, one side or the other runs out of points -- the amount that you go in the hole determines how badly off you are afterwards.

But they aren't hit points -- the pool simply measures who has the advantage at that point, and vanishes at the end of the conflict no matter what.

Extended Contest Results

Contest Consequences